Apparatus for semiautomatically operating a laundry machine



NOV. 28, J, GERNON APPARATUS FOR SEMIAUTOMATICALLY OPERATING A LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed NOV. 12, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Nov. 28, 1933. J. GERNON 1,936,937

APPARATUS FOR SEMIAUTOMATICALLY OPERATING A LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed Nov. 12, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Nov. 28, I933 Lawrence Joseph G'ernoi Application November-12, 1929.. Serial No.'406,62 5 i 12 Claims.

This invention relates to a'control for laundry machines and more particularly to a semi-automatic electrical control system for a flat-Work ironer which decreases the possibility of mixing pieces from, one bundle into another bundle as the bundles are passed through said. flat-work ironers.

It has long. been recognized that the successful operation. of a commercial laundry is directly dependentuponthe ability to pass the work of one customer through thelaundry with dispatch and without commingling said work with that of another customer. Furthermore, any confusion or commingling can be directly traced to the. introduction or" the humanelement in handling the work.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a control for the laundrymachines used in a cormnercial laundry which will' decrease the reliance upon the human equation.

Another object. of the invention is the pro-' vision of a semi-automatic electrical control system for aflatework ironer.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a'control for a flat-work ironer, whereby the operators of the same are less liable to make mistakes and cause mix-ups in the work being handled. i

Another object of the invention is the provision of a control for a flat-work ironer which is auto matically shut down upon the passage of the work of one customer therethrough and which is manually remotely started by the operator on the take-01f side of the ironer, who is at the strategic point for supervising said manual.

starting.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious to one skilled in the laundry art.

as the description of said control system isjhere inafter developed.

According to the presentinvention, the motor of the flat-work ironer is started by the closure of a normally open switch adjacent to the takeoff board by the take-off operator. Said normally open switch closes a control circuit which energizes a magnet to close the motor switch having a front contact which maintains said control circuit and said magnet in energized condition through a pair of brush contacts. A clutch is provided having one disc thereof actuated'bya rotating shaft of the ironer and theslidableele ment thereof resiliently held'in a definite position during disengagement, and adapted upon en-- gagement to interrupt the aforementionedcontrol circuit after a pre-determined rotation. The

- "Fi ure 4 is vention can bel ada'pted .to single" phase, .three phase," or direct current' 'moto'r circuits. The

@1- iec ifiiable elem n o a d clut h-1' ri a s i' in 'e i n po it n yv me f f fork ember a a ted y scc n asnlet connected nasec mi circuit'havingain orrrially'closed switch h is I oma i al y .n rate ty he. it 1 8. p n c' seq which is. also maintained by 'afront contact ne ize on t o a te iop ning of said" of Figure l. T e 'Qtq 10 whi h actuate the, fiat-work erfl s' c nn cte t rou h a motor switch,

an main wit h 2th e s pp y. ma n 3, is;

23 is :connected'toffuse1f],whilemain'contactflg 0f r is connected through 'a terminal (post .281 and lwire W 2'7tothe motor 10. Also, Imainricontact 25 is connected to fuse 18', while mainwcontact acre connected'throu'gh 'w mzgmme motor 10. Closing of the main 'switch"12jandthe[ motor switch 11 thus completes one; phase to the motor through supply main 1 3, .the first pole of switch 12, fuse 17; main contacts .23- and 24, terminal post'28, wire '27; motor 10, wire 21, fuse'lQand the'third polefof main-switch 12, to' supply main 9' 14. The second'phase is completed throughsupply main 15, the second 'pole, of main switch 12, fuse 18, main contacts 25. and 26, wire 29, motor 10, wire 22,- fuse 2o andfthe fourthpoleof the,

mainswitchl2, to supplymain 16. v The .motor circuit l.has been illustrated asa two phase system' becaus'e. it is .deemedthatfrom 1 such adislosure it is more .evidenth'ow' this ;in,-

angendview of the frictidn 7 5* 1 5 and l6. Mains 13 and 1g aretheilfl s of one '80,

present disclosure is applicable without change to a three phase four wire with grounded neutral motor circuit, the grounded neutral being connected to'supply main 16. For a three phase, three .wire motor circuit, supply main 16 and the respective wire will be eliminated. For single phase and direct current adaptation, supply mains 13 and '14 areused, except that fuse 19 is connected to the motor 10 through main contacts and 26 and Wire21.

, Main contacts 24 and 26 are both mounted ona pivotal arm, not shown, but of aknown" type such as is generally used in magnetic switches or circuit breakers, and which is actuated by an electro-magnet 30. One side of the electro-mag net 30 is connected to a terminal post 31 and by a Wire 32 to the fuse 19. An insulated strip 39 receives two threaded arms and which are attached thereto by means of nuts 34 and 38, respectively ,Saidarm 35 contains acoil spring 37 engaging a brush co'ntact 36 while arm 40 contains a coil spring42 engaging a brush'contact 41 A wire 33 leading from one side of electro-magnet 36 is connected, to arm 35 under one of the nuts 34'. A splitannular ring 43 of'conducting mate-,- I

rial engagesv brush contacts 36 and 41, .which are resiliently'pressed by coil springs 37 and 42, respectively, against said ring 43 to make good contactv therewith. Saidbrush contacts 36 and 41 may be madeof any materialadapted to make good sliding contact and of a comparatively low resistance, such as carbon or compounds thereof.

A normally open switch; 45 having two'terminalpo'sts 46 and His biased to openpositionby ajcoil' spring45 holding a switch member 45 inraise'd position and'is positioned on the" flatwork iron er adjacent to the take-off boardwhere it can be readily closed by the operator when said take-oftbcard has been cleared of the work of one customer.' This switch may also be placed so that it is easily accessible to any operator who is in a'superv'iscry position. A'wire 44 connects upper nut 38 and arm 40 of brush contact 41 to terminal post. 46 of the normally open switch 45 and terminal post47 of said switch 45 is connected to fuse 17 by means of a wire 48. Thus when switch 45 isv closed a starting control circuit is completed across ,supply mains l3 and 14 through the third pole of switch 12, fuse. 19,

wire 32,1terminal post 3.1,electro-magnet 30, wire 33, upper nut 34, arm 35, brush contact 36, ring 43, brushcontact 41, arm 40, upper nut 38, wire 44, switch 45, wire 48, fuse 17 and the first pole of ma'in switch 12. Consequentlyyclosure' of switch 45.,cause's electro-magnet 30 to be energized 'whichin turn causes the sets of contacts 23 and 2,4, 25 and- 26,to make contact with each other, thereby closing the motor circuit and 60 starting the flat-work ironer. A front contact 49is alson'lounted on-the aicrementioned pivotal arm. withmain contacts 24 and 26, and isadapted to 'Qmake contact with a, contact post 50 when the electro-magnet 30 is energized. The contact post 50 is connected by means of a wire 51 to terminal post 46 of the normally-open "switch 45 and thefront contact '49 is connectedltothe main contact 24, so that after main; contacts '23 and. 24 make contact and switch .45is again in open position, the circuit through electro-magnetfl30 is then completedthrough' wire51,. contact post 50,,f'ront contact 49, main contactsv 23 and 24, fuse 17, and the first pole of main switch 12 I p to supplymain 13; fThe shaift52 of the flatrwork ironerhas a cylinder type fiat-work ironer.

wire 29, instead of through:

' clutch shaft 59. A washer encircles said opposite said washer 66 and said nut'61. second pinion gear 63 is rotatably mounted on ,said, :clutchshaft 59 and engages the pinion outer diameters as ring 66.

spindle 53 mounted thereon. The shaftj52 may be a shaft for one of the steam cylinders of the 7 It may" be a shaft for one of the rolls of the chest type fiatwork ironer, or may be any other shaft which ,is suitable and convenient. mounted on said spindle 53 by means of a washer '55 andla nut :56, which is threaded on said spindle 53.

A frame 57 is provided with a hole 58receiving clutch shaft 59 and abuts the framei'57, while a relation tosaid washer 60. A collar 62 is integral with shaft 59 adjacent frame 57 on theside A 54 on the shaft 52 of the ironer. Acollar 64 having aset screw 65 is mounted on clutch shaft 59 adjacent pinion gear 63, so that the same may be r'otatedwithcut axial movement A pinion gear '54 upon shaft 59, which is'held stationary on} the frame 57 as previously described. .The 'gear ratio between piniongears 54and 63 will depend upon the speed of rotation ofthe shaft 52 and upon the type of fiat-work ironer which is being used.v The gear ratio should be such that the pinion gear 63 will make slightly "less than one revolution during the time that it takes a piece of work to pass through the flat-work'ironer. In practice with a commercial type of fiat-work ironer, it was found fora certain speed of the motor 16 that it took about 53 seconds for the work to pass through the ironer, and that at the same motor speed the shaft 52 was making one revolution. in twenty seconds. The use of a three to one gear ratiojbetweenpinicn gears 63 and 54, therefore, results in said pinion gear 63 making fifty three 'sixtieths (53/66) of a; revolution during the time that one piece of'work is passing through the-ircner. It will be obvious that this fractional rotation of "the pinion gear 63 will not be affected by a change in the speed cf the motor '10. H

An annular ring 66 of material'having a high friction coefiicient, such as fibre, is concentrically'mounted on. the pinion gear 63. A disc 67 having a ring 68 concentric andr integral.

therewith, is slidably mounted upon the clutch shaft 59; ring 68 having the same inner and The split annular ringf43'is inlaid in the periphery of disc 67, and except for the space 69', (see Figure 2), completely encircles the same. The disc 67 and ring 68, which is integral therewith, are of insulating materialhaving a high friction ccefficient, which is preferably the same aejthat used for ring 66, so that there will be the grea est friction efiect possible between 66 and 68 when they make contact with each'pther.

A metal ring70 is also slidably placed upon heads thereofcountersunk'in disc'f67. A groove 72 is provided in the periphery of metal ring 70. Apairof circular plates 73 and'74 are placed clutch shaft 59 and. is attached'todisc 67 by' means of a plurality of screws 71 having the upon clutch shaft 59 and held in spaced rela 1 tion byaplurality of sleeves 75 and screws 76.

Circular plate 73- is attached to metal ring70 by means of a plurality of screws 77having the heads thereof countersunk in the circular plate spiral spring 78 is mounted in thespace o'etween the circular plates 73 and 74; the inner shaft 59 by means of a'set screw 81 andacts as a stop for the disengagingaxial movement of the slidable element of the clutch, which is caused by a helical spring 82 which abuts'pinion gear 63 and disc 67, to normally hold rings 66 and 68 in spaced relation. Spring 82 is centered about the shaft 59 by means of aforementioned collar 64. A rod 83 is threaded into stop collar 80 and projects radially therefrom, to act as a stop for a pin 84 positioned on'the plate 7 1i. A look nut 83 is threaded on rod 83 to hold the same in a set position. v

v A bracket 85 is mounted on the frame 57 and i an insulating plate 86 is mounted in turnupon said bracket 85. A contactpost 87 with a contact point 88 is mounted on said plate 86 by means of nuts 89 threaded on said post 87. An electromagnet 90 is mounted on said plate 86and is connected by the wires 91 and 92 to the terminal posts 93 and 94, respectively, which are also mounted on said insulating plate 86..

A' forked arm 95 is pivotally mounted at 96,

so that the fork fits into the groove 72 in metal ring 70, and said forked arm 95 is in magnetic relation to electro-magnet 90, so that the. latter on being energized attracts the forked arm 95 which in turn causes the slidable clutch members 6'7, '70, '73 and 74, to move, so that ring 68 is in frictional engagement with ring 66. i The split annular ring 43 is of such a width that brush contacts 36 and 41 engage the same even afteraxial displacement of the disc 67. Upon frictional engagement of the rings, 66 and 68,

the disc 67 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2, against the action of the spiral spring 78 until brush contacts 36 and 41 are on the insulating space 69. 5

When electro-magnet 90 is de energized, helical spring 82 moves the slidable elements 67, 70, 73 and '74 of the clutch axially, so that plate'l strikes stop collar 80 and spiral spring 78 turns elements 67, '70, Brand 74 on clutch. shaft ina direction opposite to that shown by the arrow in Figure 2, until pin 84 abuts rod 83. The slidable elements are then in the same position as before electro-magnet 90 was energized. I

' A front contact 97 is moimted upon an insulated portion 93 of the forkedarm 95, and is so positioned that it makes contact with contact point 88, when the electro-magnet. 90 is energized and attracts said forked arm 95. Front contact 97 is connected by a wire 99 to a terminal post 100', which is mounted upon insulating plate 86.

A wire 101 connects contact post 8'7 to terminal post 93 which is in turn connected by a wire 102 to the terminal 104 of a normally closed switch another pole 112 inlposition', in order to feed 1 another customers flat work into the ironer,

nbr l v o e .v

switch 103 is biased to closed positionby a;,coil spring 113'. In such-biased or: closed position switch 103 will place the electro-Ymagnet' 90 across. supply mains 13 andle, through jthefirst pole of main switch 12, fusev 17, main contacts 0 23 and 24, terminal post 28, wire 106, switch-103, wire .102, wire 91, electro-magnet-90, wire 92, wire 108, terminal post 31, wire32, fuse 19, and the third pole of main switch 12 to supply main 14. After the electro-magnet .90 has attracted 35 theforkedarm 95,.the contact point 88will make with front contact 97,'fand thenormally closed switch 103 will be shunted by the wire.107, terminal post 100, wire 99, front contact 97 contact point 88, contact post 87 and"wire 1 01, so 39 that the electro-magnet will continue to been-, ergized after switch-103 isagain, opened.) An incandescent lamp 109. is connected" across terminal posts'93 and 94 by means of wires;110

and 111. Said lamp109 is located near the take- 5 offboardp i v A wooden pole 112 has one end thereof resting upon the switch member 113 of the normally closed switch 103, to hold the same in open posi tion against the action ofcoil spring 11 3", This 100 pole is used on, the feeding sideof theflat-work ironer and holds theflatworkof-one customer I in a convenient" position in front of the fiat-work ironer while the work is being fedqintosaid ironer, When-the pole 112 is in this position,it"

maintains switch 103 open, and when all the flat work of one customer,-which was on the pole, has been fed into the ironer, the poleis removed to makeway for a similar pole with another 0115- tomers flat work bundlethereon. As the pole. is removed, the switch 103 is. automatically closed. h

The operation'of the semi-automatic electrical control is as follows: r

V Assuming the main switch 12 and'themotor 115 switch 11 are closed, the motor 10 is operating and I p the shaft 52'is rotating pinion gears 54 and 63.

Meanwhile, the clutch is-inthe disengaged position and the switch 103 is beingheld opentby the pole 112. After all the flatwork on the polehas been fed into the ironer, said pole 112 is removed; switch 103 normally closes, velectro-magnet 90 is 1 energized and lamp 1091s lighted. Thislighting of lamp 109'warns the take-off operator that the last piece of one bundle has been 'fed into. the, machine, and thatgthe first piece of the next bundle will soon follow, Fork 95'is' now attracted by electro-magnet 90 and front contact 97- makes, withcontact point 88 of contact'post87 to shunt switch 103. Thus the feedingoperatormay place thereby opening-switch 103 without de-energizing' electro-magnet 90. H v The attraction of forked [arm 95 also brings rings 66 and 68 intofrictionalengagement, so that clutch disc 67 is rotated against the action of spiral spring '78. By the correct selection of a gear ratio between gears 63 and 54 and by moving collar 80 either clockwise or counter-clockwise on shaft 59, the mechanismmay be so set that space 69 of disc 67 will come under the brush contacts 36 and 41, just as the last piece of the customers bundle is :being discharged onto the take-off board. "-145 When the brush contacts36 and 4l'reach the" space 69, the circuit of the ,electro-magnet 30 across supply mains 13 and 14 will be interrupted, main'contacts 23*and 24, 25 and 26 will be'separatedand the motor 10 willbeshut down, since 159 v bothphases have been interrupted. it should be conducting material.

noted that the time interval between engagement .of the clutch and the-shutting down of the motor isjdirectly proportional to the speed'of the shaft 52, so that the speed of the motor 10 maybe varied and still the motor circuit will be inter- 'rupted, just as the last piece of work isbeing discharged onto the take-ofi board.

' Said interruption of the motor circuit and main contacts 23 and 24 will de-energize the electromagnet and break'the circuit to the lamp 109.

The helical spring 82 will act to disengage the clutch and move fork member away from contact point 88 and electro-magn'et 90. Spiral spring '78 will rotate disc 67 in a'direction opposite to the arrow in Figure 2 until pin 84 abuts rod 83 and brush contacts 36 and 41 are again connected through the split annular ring 43 of If thetake-ofi operator has not been able to clear the take-ofi board of all'the pieces of one bundle, this shutting down of the ironer will now present an opportunity to do so before any pieces of the next bundle are discharged onto the board;

This feature of the control system is of the utmost importance, for if the take-off board is not clear and the work of another customer is discharged onto said board, the possibility of confusion and a mix-upis greatly increased. It is the general 30 practice to feed the large pieces of any one bundle, such as sheets and table cloths, into the ironer last and these should be attended to immediately upon being discharged onto the takeeoff' board,

Consequently, any small pieces, such as napkins,

towels, pillow cases, etc., notyet folded'when the first large piece is discharged onto the take-01f board, are placed to one side until the large pieces are 'folded. Now if the ironer were not shut down, the small pieces of the next customers workwould be on the take-off board at the same timeas the unfolded small work of the previous customer, andco'mmingling is most likely to occur a under such circumstances. 7

Furthermore, observation has disclosed that once thetake-ofi operators get behind in'their folding they can only catch up, if at all, a bit at a time, so that this simultaneous occurrence of two customers work on the take-off board will happenseveral timesbeiore the operators have madeupthe lost time.

When the take-01f board is clear, the operator presses the switch member 45 of the normally open switch 45 and closes the circuit through the electrO-inagnetSO across the supply mains 13 and 14.

.Main contacts 23 and 24, 25 and 2e will make I and the motor 10 will start. Front contact 49 will make-with c'ontact post 50 and shunt the switch 45' so that the motor switch will remain closed even after normal opening of the switch 45. Shaft 52 is now rotating pinion gears 54 and 63, and the cycle will be repeated upon removal of the wooden pole 112. v i V The control system has been described with respect to that type of flat-work ironer operation which utilizes wooden poles placed beicre. the

ironer. However, it is within the scope of this inventionto place a switch at any position on the feeding'side of the ironer so that it will be automatically or manually closed after the last piece=of fiat work of one customers bundle has been fed into the ironer. y

, Since many difierent and varied modifications of this invention are conceivable, the above disclosure and the ac'companying drawings are to be construed in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having now described my invention, what'I claim is:

1. Ana apparatirs for operating a laundry ma chine, comprising a starting control circuit, a running circuit having a portion in common with said starting control circuit, astopping' control means normally inoperative but adapted after a predetermined operating cycle. to interrupt the common portion or saidcircuits, a mechanical means adapted to'operate said stopping control means; and a'mag netic means adapted to be energized and to move said mechanical rneans'into operative position whereby said predetermined cycle starts upon energi'zation of said magnetic means for operation'of said mechanical means;

2. In a -device of the character described, the combination with a starting control circuit, a running circuit having a-portion in common with said starting control circuit, a stepping control normally inoperative but adapted after a I predetermined operating cycle to interrupt the common portion of said" circuits, a mechanical means normally inoperative butfadapted to op-' erate said stopping control means, a clutch means normally disengaged but adapted upon engagement to actuate said mechanical means, and a magnetic means adapted to move said clutch means into engagement, of a resilient means adapted to return said mechanical means to a definite position after disengagement of said adapted to rotate said mechanical means in a reverse direction after disengagement of said clutch means, and an adjustable stop means adapted to stop the reverse rotation of said me chanical means in a definite position;

4, An apparatus for semi-automatically operating the motor switch of a motor operated laundry machine, comprising a normallyopen starting control circuit containing an electro-magnetic means actuating said motor switchanda normally open switch means, a holding circuit.

shunting said starting control circuitafter the motor switch is closed, a stopping control means normally inoperativebut adapted after a predetermined operating cycle to interrupt said starting control and holding circuits, a mechanical means normally inoperative but adapted to operate said stopping control means and to start the predetermined operating cycle thereof, a

clutch means normally disengaged but adapted" upon engagement to operate. said mechanical means, an electro-magnetic circuit having "an electro-magnet and causing said clutch means to engage whens'aid electro-magnet is energized,

, and a switch'meansin said electro-magnetic circuitadapted to'elose the same and to energize said electro-m'agnet. v j I 5. An apparatus for semi-automaticallyoperating the motor switch of a motor operated laundry machine, comprising ngirmai1yp1fs arc ing control circuit containing an electr c-magnetic means actuating said motor s wit ch 'an'd anormally open switch means, a holding'circuitshunting said starting control circuit, after the motor switch is closed, a stopping control means normally inoperative but adapted after a, predetermined operating cycle to interrupt said starting control and holdingcircuits, a'mechanical means normally: inoperative but adapted tooperate said stopping control means andto start the p re-i determined operating (cycle, a clutch means normally disengaged but adapted upon engagement to actuate saidmechanical means, an electrosaid electro-magnetic circuit being opened when said stopping control means have operated.

6. An apparatus for semi-automatically operating the motor switch of a motor operated laundry machine, comprising a normally open starting control circuit containing an electro-magnet adapted to close said motor switch and a'normally open switch which upon being closed causes said motor switch to close and laundry machine to operate, a holding. circuit shunting said starting control circuit once said motor switch is closed, a front contact on said motor switch completing said holding circuit, a friction clutch having a driving disc and a driven disc, said driving disc being actuated by said laundry machine, mechanical means actuated by the driven disc of said friction clutch, stopping control means actuated by said mechanical means and adapted to interrupt said starting control and holdingcircuits, a second electro magnetic circuit having an electro-magnet which upon being energized causes said friction clutch to engage, a switch in said second electro-magnetic circuit which upon dry machine, comprising a normally open starting control circuit, a holding circuitshunting said, starting control circuit after said motor switch is trol and holding circuits therethrough, saiddisc' being rotated to bring the split of said ring beneath said brush contacts, a spiral spring rotating said disc in reverse direction upon disengagement of said clutch, and adjustablestop means positioned to stop said reverse rotation of said disc in a definite position with the-split annular ring electrically connecting the two brush contacts, a forked arm means actuating said disc axially, a clutch control circuit for said friction clutch completed through a switch and containing an electro-rnagnet magnetically actuating said forked arm means, and a second holding circuit adapted to shunt said switch and maintain said friction clutch control circuit until the Split .of fsaid annular 1 ring comes beneath :said brushcont'actsf Y I 8. An apparatus for, semi automatically,[operating, the motor switch I, of a motor operated flat, work I ironer, comprising a fnormallyi open starting control circuit,. a holding circuit shuntf ing' said'starting control "circuitafter said motor;

switch closes,; a stationary shaft. mounted 'on. said holder, a: friction, clutch comprisinga ring rotatably mounted torotate on saidsh-aft and actuatedby saidflat work ironenandla discslid ably. land rotatably'mounte d on-saia; shaft, -a.,,spl it;

annularring. mountedon th'e' periphery of said disc,- brush contacts resilientlyabutting saidsplit; annular ring and completing said starting control and holding circuits therethrough, said split, annular ring being so set as to bring the split portion beneath the brush contacts after a predetermined rotation of said disc thereby inter rupting electrical connection between the brush contacts and openingsaid starting control andholding circuits, ametal ring provided withta,

sol

peripheral groove and attached to said disc,- at

pair of plates rotatably moiunted on said shaft in spaced relation and attached'to said metal ring, a spiral spring mounted'betweensaid plates having the outer end thereof attached to said plates" and the inner end thereof attached to said shaft, a collar adjustably mounted on said shaft having a rod projecting radially therefrom, and a'pin mounted on' one of said plates adapted to abut said rod when said friction clutch is rotated by said spiral spring, 'a forked arm pivotally mounted and en-' gaging said peripheral groove of said metalring, a clutch control circuit for said friction clutch energizing'an electro-magnet which attracts said pivotally mounted forked arm, a switch in said clutch control circuit, and a second holding cir cuit comprising a contact means closed to shunt said switch when said electro-magnet is ener- 1 gized.

9. In an apparatus for semi-automaticallyoperating a laundry machine, the combination with a starting control means, a stopping control means adapted after-a predetermined operating cycle 1 20 7 to stop said machine and a controlling means adapted to operate said stopping'control' means, of a second controlling means for controllingsaid first mentioned controlling means and a means'normally maintaining said second controlling means in eifective position but adapted a to be retained in-ineffective positionby alaundry holder.

10., In an apparatus for semi automatically operating a laundry machine, the combination with a starting control circuit a running circuit completed by said starting control circuit, a stopping control vmeans normally inoperative but adapted afterapredetermined voperating cycle means adapted to operate said stopping control means anda magnetic means adaptedupon being energizedto move said mechanical means into operative position, of a controlling'means for controlling said magnetic means and a means 140- to interrupt said running circuit, a mechanical erating a laundry machine, the combination with a starting -control.means, a stopping control meansnormally inoperative but adapted after a predetermined operating cycle to stopsaid ma-, chine, a mechanical means normally inoperative but adapted to operate said stopping control I means whereby said operating cycleisstarted, a

clutch'means normally disengaged butadapted upon engagement to actuate said mechanical means, and a magnetic means normallyde-ener gized but adapted upon being energized to move said'clutc'h means into engagement of a controlling means for controlling said'mag'netic' means and a means normally maintaining said controlling means in efiective position but adapted'to be retained in ineffective position by a laundry holder.

'12. 'In an apparatus for semi-automatically operating a laundrymachineythe combination 7 with a starting control means, a stopping control means normallyinoperative but adapted after a predetermined?operating cycle to stop said ma-.. chinj, a mechanical meansnormally inoperative butadapted to operate said. stopping control" ling circuit for controlling said-magnetic means and a switch means normally completing said controlling circuit'but adapted to'be maintained in open positioniby a laundry holder.

" LAWRENCE JOSEPPl GERNON. 

